Justice for women brings justice for all humanity

In less than two weeks voting members from across the church will arrive at the Churchwide Assembly to carry out the business of the ELCA. Many issues coming before the assembly—the highest legislative authority in the church—are important for women, but I’d like to bring a particular issue to your attention. Thanks to an action of the ELCA Church Council and memorials from four synods, the voting members will consider a request that the church develop a social statement on the topic of justice for women in church and society.

As the consulting committee for the ELCA Justice for Women program has concluded, women and girls live with personal, social, and religious realities of injustice. Most any woman you ask could give you examples from her life. This church needs a theological response to those injustices, and we need to engage this church in study and reflection based on that theological response.

The synods that asked for such a social statement—Southwestern California, Rocky Mountain, Northeastern Iowa, and Metropolitan New York—represent a broad cross-section of the church. Of course the ELCA Church Council includes lay and rostered leaders from across the church. My prayer is that the voting members of the churchwide assembly agree that such a social statement is needed. Any work done on justice for women will surely lead to justice for all of humanity.